New York City will be protected by a ring of devices to detect nuclear or dirty bombs before the end of the year, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. A dirty bomb is one that spreads radiation without employing a nuclear explosion. The Department of Homeland Security hopes the circle of sensors will give warning if a bomb is transported into the city by land. Most previous detection efforts have focused on preventing a bomb from being smuggled into the city by sea. Under the "Securing the Cities" initiative, detectors will be placed along highways, at truck stops, in weigh stations and at other sites on the perimeter of New York, as well as locations closer to the city center, an official said. Locations will not be made public "for obvious reasons," the official said. We have become a Paranoid Nation let by Mad Men. And no end to this mass insanity in sight ... http://www.cnn.com

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has officially launched his presidential campaign with a speech in Illinois. Mr Obama is considered by many to be the first African-American candidate with a realistic chance of winning. He, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, is leading the race for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2008 vote. But the BBC's James Coomarasamy in Washington says he has little national experience, causing some to question if his skills match his ambition. A large crowd of supporters had braved the sub-zero temperatures in Springfield, Illinois to watch Mr Obama make his announcement. Another bought and paid for empty suit ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6349081.stm

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked the United States for what he said was its "almost uncontained" use of force around the world. America's "very dangerous" approach to global relations was fuelling a nuclear arms race, he told a security summit. Correspondents say the strident speech may signal a more assertive Russia. US defence secretary Robert Gates, also attending the summit in Munich, said only that the Russian leader had been "very candid". Mr Putin told senior security officials from around the world that nations were "witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations". "One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," he said, speaking through a translator. "This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law. "This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons."...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6349287.stm

The new U.S. commander in Iraq warned on Saturday that the country was "doomed to continued violence and civil strife" if American and Iraqi forces did not work together. Gen. David Petraeus took command of the 135,000-strong U.S. force, declaring "we will have to share the burdens and move forward together. If we can do that and if we can help the people of Iraq, the prospects of success are good. "Failing that, Iraq will be doomed to continued violence and civil strife." Standing under a crystal chandelier that spanned 30 feet of the ceiling in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, Petraeus said the task before him was "exceedingly challenging." "The stakes are very high. The way ahead will be hard, and there undoubtedly will be many tough days. But as I recently told members of the U.S. Senate, hard is not hopeless."...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/10/iraq/main2457998.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2457998

Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the United States and its Western allies on Saturday for what he said was an attempt to force their will on the world. Speaking at an annual gathering of top security and defense officials in Germany, Putin attacked the concept of a "unipolar world" — implying the United States is the sole superpower — and said U.S. actions abroad had made conflicts worse. "What is a unipolar world? No matter how we beautify this term it means one single center of power, one single center of force and one single master," Putin said. "It has nothing in common with democracy because that is the opinion of the majority taking into account the minority opinion. People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves." Putin said the United States had repeatedly overstepped its national borders in questions of international security, a policy that he said had made the world less, not more, safe....http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2865233

Ray DeLong took advantage of a break from the snow to use a blower to forge a path to his driveway as two contractors pushed streams of snow from the roof of his home. The brief reprieve Friday ended early Saturday as snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour, further burying a region already tested by nearly record snowfalls. "Have to move fast. Want to at least get it off my roof," DeLong said, just hours before more flakes began to fall. More than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 20 deaths across the northern quarter of the nation — five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, two in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, New York and Maryland, authorities said. No deaths were reported in Oswego County, where Mexico is located, however. By 9 p.m. Friday a heavy lake effect band started to intensify over the county, said Tony Ansuini, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo. ...http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251285,00.html